China recorded its lowest number of new marriages for four decades in 2024, in a sign that the country’s challenges with a declining birth rate and shrinking population are likely to deepen this year.

Last year, 6.10 million couples in China tied the knot, down 20.5 per cent from 2023, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The 2024 total is the lowest recorded since 1980.

Meanwhile, the number of divorces edged up by 1.1 per c